UCL Astrophysics Group - Extrasolar Planets

The EChO Space Mission

UCL is also heavily involved with the Exoplanet Characterisation Observatory (EChO) project, proposed as an M3 class mission and currently being assessed by the European Space Agency, with launch expected in 2022. The work for this is being carried out by an international consortium led by Prof. Giovanna Tinetti as Principal Investigator, with major contributions also from Dr. Giorgio Savini and the UCL Astronomical Instrumentation group, and Prof. Bruce Swinyard in collaboration with RAL Space at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

The mission aims to provide dedicated high-resolution observations of exoplanetary atmospheres, enabling us to address some of the fundamental questions concerning planetary system formation and evolution, and the emergence of life itself.